Past
by CrazyPerson1
Summary: Rita is a proud and aloof Purrloin that had been abandoned by her owner. However, could her cold exterior hide something darker? This is a side-story to my main one, The Misadventures Of A Master, or TMOAM for short.
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold rainy October night. Rita has always liked the fresh crisp air of October. But today was different.

"You're a bad Pokémon! Why do you have to destroy everything? What kind of Purrloin are you? You never come when I call you, you shred curtains and couches like paper! Purrloin are supposed to be all cute and cuddly, not YOU!" Rita still clearly remembered her 'owner' shout at her. What's the big deal, it's just a couch. But more importantly, she IS NOT some kind of pet to be pampered and beckoned at a master's will. Unfortunately, that means she'll be spending the night on the streets. Eh, the cardboard box is no bed, but it'll have to do. Stupid human, who does she think she is anyways? Eh, there's something in a box. No, someone; looks like a Herdier, from the look of things. Upon seeing the canine, Rita's fur bristled; canines and felines were natural enemies after all. Oh damn, the dog turned. Run!

Pelting across the alley, Rita managed to get on a fence. The stupid mutt wouldn't get her here. Looking down with a triumphant smirk, the Purrloin was thoroughly surprised when she didn't find the Herdier snarling at her, stupidly thinking that it could get her. The dog was lying in the box, warily looking at her. They stood like that, looking at each other, neither twitching, let alone moving. Suddenly, the Herdier stood up, making Rita's heart skip a beat; she started calculating the escape route, but a howl of pain brought her attention back to the canine. The Herdier collapsed; its indignant howl turning first into a whimper, before the dog turned away, not willing to let a Purrloin see him as weak.

The rain intensified, the gentle, rhythmic beating turned into a drumming sound of a downpour. She had nowhere to go. Turning back to the dog, pondered for a moment. But then… BOOM The sky roared, as the thunder rocked the clouds.

"Hey, mind if I stay here for a while?" Rita asked the dog, hoping not to get bitten. "Hello?" The Herdier didn't move. Only now did she see how heavily was the canine's chest heaving, his breath laborious. The Swords Of Justice, he was dying! Worse yet, she didn't know this town; her owner had only moved here recently. The, mere thought of her previous owner made her fur bristle with fury. But her eyes betrayed her sadness. She had sincerely hoped the human would be the one… But that didn't matter. The dog was running a fever. Rita remembered how her mother went. Her mother…

Memories of her would always bring a tear to Rita's eyes. No, she couldn't cry; she had to be strong for her Mom. But the memories…

She had a family, a place to call her own. But then, the Creature came. It was a Mandibuzz, looking for an easy prey. Arrogantly squawking about its strength, the bird descended on her. Rita thought she was a goner. But suddenly, her Mom came in, hitting the bird with an Iron tail. The two fought desperately. It was not a battle for sport; it was a matter of life or death. Eventually, her Mom won. But it came with a price. Her mother was lying on the forest floor, a small pool of blood next to her. Mom is strong; she-she won't leave Rita alone. But she did. The Liepard fell down with a fever, before finally losing the struggle with Death. Rita remembered the scene vividly.

* * *

The dying Liepard laid, wheezing. She would pass, that was sure. She wanted to stay with her precious little daughter, to show her the world. But she knew she wouldn't make it through the night. It broke her heart, knowing that her daughter would likely only see the worst of the world. She would do everything to prevent that. But what could she do?

"Ri- cough, cough. Rita, come here." She beckoned her daughter.

"Yes, mother?" The little Purrloin whispered, almost afraid. Her big round eyes were filled with fear and desperation.

"Daughter, I- cough, cough. I'm going to die by nightfall." No, this couldn't happen. This wasn't true. Rita knew it wasn't.

"Mom, please don't leave me! Everything will be okay. You promised it would!" The Purrloin broke down weeping at her Mother's chest. The salty tears flowed freely, adding to the bloody mess that was on the floor.

"Hush, my dear. Listen here Rita." The Liepard stood up, wincing at the pain. Rita looked up expectantly, drinking in her mother's sweet and kind voice, calming down a little bit.

It hurt the Liepard, it really did. "Rita, I'll be gone by nightfall. I know, dear," Liepard looked at her daughter, who started weeping again. "Listen to me Rita." She said again, this time in a slightly stricter voice.

Purrloin looked up, her eyes having a flicker of hope. Momma was angry, did it mean she was better?

"Rita, accept it. I don't want to leave you either. But please." The Liepard herself teared up, as mother and daughter cried in silence.

"Please, Rita, promise me one thing." The Purrloin looked up. She didn't want her Mom to go! She promised she would take her to the Murkrow Peak, how the two would go to White forest later…

"Promise me that you'll be strong for me. Stay strong, girl. And, don't let my death affect you. Live on. I might not be here with you directly, but you'll always carry memories of me with you." No, this isn't true! Mother won't leave her, not like this!

"Promise me Rita." Purrloin looked away, denying fate. "Promise me!" Her mother's sharp voice rang in the cold winter night.

"I-I , I promise!" Rita shouted, burying her head in her Mother's fur, crying and drinking in the warmth and comfort that her mother always radiated. They lay there until midnight.

* * *

Eventually, some humans found her. She tried to fight back, but to no avail. The rest was all a blur. She remembered being delivered to a small building with a blue roof; she remembered a weird woman who coed over her, eventually buying her. She still hated the humans, having been treated like a piece of merchandise, like that weird man said. More importantly, she remembered her Mom's death.

And here she stood, in front of a mutt, the natural enemy of cats, dyeing just like her mother did. Just looking at him made her remember the scene. No, she couldn't let him die like that. The humans! No matter how stupid they all seemed, she still remembered that kind woman with pink hair that treated her when she broke dislocated a few bones, like that woman said, falling from a tree. She had to go get help!

* * *

 **Yes, this is darker than the main story. But, considering that TMOAM (The Misadventures Of A Master) is a comedy, then I can't really just slap this in, can I?**

 **Anyways, review ant tell me, what you liked about this and what you hated about it.**

 **Oh, and the poll closes on Sunday, so if you want to make a difference, vote! Why do I suddenly feel like someone campaigning for Presidency? :P**


	2. Chapter 2

"Damn, it's raining hard!" Ash loudly complained. Pikachu never understood why his best friend was like that. Personally, he loved rain; perhaps it's natural, since this was a pretty fierce thunderstorm as well. But then again…

"You're telling me. Well, at least we're not stuck at the lab with Gary." Said Leaf with a small laugh. She and Ash disagreed on a lot of things; the way Pokémon should be treated and Gary were not on that long list. She was petting Eve. The little Eevee was rather shy. Well, from anyone but Ash and Leaf. Ash, because he saved her, and Leaf, because, well, she was Leaf.

"That's the only good thing about picking up the Professor's packet. And the cons are limitless: having to go to Viridian, not being able to go home because of some annoying rain…" Ash started, but was startled out of finishing it by a blur rushing by.

"Purrloin!" A small purple feline ran into the Center, heading straight to the counter. It was panting hard, and, despite soaking wet, the cat still managed to jump onto the counter with a surprising amount of grace. He, no, wait, she- the tail was longer and the whiskers were slightly longer, mewed to Nurse Joy. The other people in the Center looked at it in puzzlement. But Ash and Nurse Joy could both easily hear the desperation and urgency in the Purrloin's otherwise adorable mewling. Both Ash and nurse Joy grabbed their things and ran after the Purrloin, who, after catching her breath, pelted back out into the rain. Pikachu, Leaf and Eve, cursing lightly, ran after them.

"What the hell just happened?" A couple of trainers were slightly confused.

But most people just waved it off. "Ditto."

* * *

The Herdier lay on the ground. The Purrloin was weird; he was mildly surprised at seeing a fellow Unova-native Pokémon, but that was it. Damn cats, always thinking that they're better than everyone else. He knew Death would claim him soon. At least he would die outside, tasting the fresh air and freedom, not at the stinking place humans called "the black market".

Huh, was it footsteps it heard? It was too loud for that small little feline; probably humans. He must be imagining things; no way would human scum be outside in this downpour. He yawned loudly. At least he would die a free 'mon.

"Do you think Herdier will make it?" Purrloin was surprised at how concerned the boy was for the fate of some Pokémon he didn't even know! The girl was worried too, her eyes showed that much; however, her muse was interrupted when the kind woman with pink hair- the boy called her 'nurse Joy'- answered.

"I don't know. He was out in the rain for far too long. We did all we could. The rest is up to him. All we can do now is wait." Nurse Joy replied with a frown. She was clearly exhausted from running so fast and treating the canine.

Now that the adrenaline wore off, Rita felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. The sweet notion of sleep was so welcoming…

That night, Rita dreamt of something she hadn't seen in ages. She saw her mother die again. Please, don't leave me!

"Purrloin, Purrloin calm down!" Rita woke up, only to see the girl from before restrain her. The Swords Of Justice- she was covered in cuts! It was a human, Rita thought. But then, her guilt and grief caught up to her.

"There, there, Purrloin, don't cry." Leaf sat, trying to comfort the Purrloin, who, after holding back her tears for Arceus knows how long, finally broke down. She saw in front of her not the proud narcissistic façade that the feline had so carefully constructed. She saw a broken child, who just wanted to be reassured that everything will be fine.

"How is Purrloin?" Ash asked, while bandaging up his scarred friend. The cat was sleeping on her lap, having cried herself to sleep.

"Broken. I don't know what happened to her, Ash. But I do know she's seen the cruel side of life too soon for a child." Leaf looked at the Purrloin sadly. "She's a child, Ash! A child! She doesn't deserved it!" Now it was Leaf's turn to cry.

Ash said nothing. He knew his words wouldn't make a difference.

"Pika Pi." Pikachu woke up, looking at them with a puzzled look. Which quickly turned into a smirk. Which, in turn, became a grin.

"Oh shut up, Pi."

* * *

A few days later, Leaf and Purrloin stood at a graveyard. They were here in front of one specific tombstone. This tombstone was dedicated to the Herdier that they saved. But not just to him. But to the memory of Rita's mother as well.

* * *

 **And it's done. Yes, I've started re-watching the Animaniacs recently. Anyways guys, rate and review. And check out my main story too if you liked it.**


End file.
